Kellan Lutz shows off his sculpted torso after gaining 20lbs

Taking on the role of Hercules required far more than just acting skills.And Kellan Lutz certainly got physical to play the Greek god, packing on 20lbs of muscle for the film, according to reports.

In a first look at him in character for Hercules 3D, the Twilight star shows off extremely impressive chiselled abs.It would be easy to think the actor’s six pack had been painted on as he cavorted about the set in Bulgaria.In true hero style, the 28-year-old wore a gladiator uniform of skirt, sandals and heavy belt.For some scenes Kellan suited up with armour and a full red cape.The star certainly looked believable as he shot some fight scenes with a sword on Monday.It is said that Kellan spent hours in sword training every day in the run-up to filming, along with close combat and horse riding lessons to perform elaborate stunts for the blockbuster.The movie, which is directed by Renny Harlin, is scheduled to hit cinemas in March 2014.

And it is facing stiff competition from Hercules: The Thracian Wars, another movie about the son of Zeus which stars Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.This film, which will be directed by Brett Ratner, is set to be released just a few months later in July 2014.However Kellan has been quick to say the two movies are worlds apart.‘I wish them the best. They have a great cast, but the story is completely different,’ he told Crave Online. ‘[Johnson’s Hercules] is much older and our Hercules is the man’s journey from him being a boy to a man, and it’s very real and human.‘Our character goes through being lovestruck and then heartbroken and then anguish and loneliness, sadness and remorse. It’s really a story about a man, a man and the journey to get back to his love. So it’s not a man with super-powers.

‘A man not understanding the strengths that he does have and he’s in denial because he doesn’t believe in gods at first and doesn’t believe that he’s the son of Zeus and just really feels rejected by who he thinks is his father. It’s just really going through the story of what a normal boy would go through and the situation that he’s forced into.’While Kellan certainly looks sizeable in character, he claimed he was told by his director not to beef up too much because this incarnation of Hercules is supposed to be more human than most.

‘Well, even Renny himself, he’s like, “Kellan, I don’t want you getting bigger. Just get your abs to pop more.” I’m like, “All right, cool.” And I like being bigger,’ he said.‘Even I saw Hercules as this giant guy, but the powers that he harnesses, it’s not like he’s throwing bears into the sky or really fighting off any of the monsters like Clash of the Titans or anything like that. It’s really just Gladiator pretty much.’Kellan admitted that even he expected his portrayal of Hercules to look slightly different, at least as far as his hair was concerned.

‘You know what, I wish I had the long blonde locks,’ Kellan admitted. ‘I was really fighting for that just because I always envisioned Hercules as that, but we have so many fight scenes that are beyond epic.‘And riding a horse, if it’s not your natural hair, it’d be a lot of work and we don’t have time for that. So my look’s just, I have short hair in this. It’s very cropped and manly.’ – DailyMail